**RELEASE DAY BLITZ** Time To Learn by Karen Ferry

My fairytale ending turned into a nightmare soon after I gave the man I thought was perfect my vows. Like the coward I was, I remained in my prison for too long. But there was one light amidst all the darkness – my daughter, Ailith.

Now, I’m a 33-year-old woman, living with her mother in a little town in Scotland that’s quiet but safe, trying to keep the family business afloat.

When will I find the courage to live again?

One day, a glance from a stranger brings me a sliver of hope that I haven't believed in since I was young.

Will it be enough?

Love is a lie.

Love is an illusion.

Love is painful.

Until her.

She made me trip over my own two feet – made me yearn for the very thing I've avoided all my life: love. But she didn't love me back. I had to escape my memories somehow, and I fled to Scotland.

Now, I’m more lost than I've ever been, trying to forget the woman who managed to soften my cynical heart.

Will the hole in my chest ever heal?

One day, the sorrow in a woman's eyes causes me to trip again. My heart beats anew, and when she finally allows me to see her, I’m filled with hope.

Will she give in to me?

For Laura and Kristian, everything changes with just one glance. But can two people who have been burned in the past open their hearts and learn to love again?

Author's Note: While this is book #3 in The Believe Series, it can be read as a standalone novel. Includes a hot-as-sin tattoo artist, a stubborn Scottish woman, horses, and lots of swoon-worthy moments. You have been warned.

Karen Ferry is a thirty-something writer, wife to a quiet, laidback man, and mother to a gorgeous, stubborn, redheaded girl who keeps her parents on their toes.

Even though Karen is Danish, she has always felt more at ease writing stories in English, and she is a complete Anglophile and bookaholic. She loves Italian food and wine, travelling, and spending time with her family. When she is not writing, she reads – her favourite genres are New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotica and Romantic Suspense. She can never get enough of romance.

“I’m sure it’s not difficult to find companions with the way you look.”

As if they have a mind of their own, my eyes trail up his muscular chest. I wonder if he’s got any ink hidden away underneath the black T-shirt, but when my gaze lands on his again, I bite my lip. His eyes cloud over with shadows and I wish I could take the words back.

“Maybe not. But friendships aren’t formed just because you share a bed, or something else, for a night or two. They need time for that, don’t you agree?”

I nod, attempting to hide my wince at the image of Kristian lying with some faceless woman in a bed that pops into my head.

Eeww.

Then I want to slap myself for even thinking like that. It’s not my place. But that doesn’t mean he’s convinced me yet.

“What have you got to lose?” he persists, frowning at me.

“I’ve never known any man who asked me to be friends keep his promise,” I answer quietly. “I don’t have anything to lose, as you put it, but I just want you to know why I’m hesitating.”

He sighs as he shakes his head.

“Stubborn.”

I roll my eyes at him.

“Perhaps, but Scots are known for that.”

“Okay, how does this sound?” He inches forward in his seat. “I know that Lise will be spending a lot of time at your farm, and I’d actually like to come with her from time to time. How about we agree to just try to be friends? And if one of us ends up falling for the other, we promise to say it and not keep it a secret?”

I lean closer so he can hear me better over the sound of the people milling about in the pub.

“Do you keep your promises, Kristian?”

He frowns.

“I try really hard not to break them, Laura.”

He sounds so serious, and that decides it for me. I nod, satisfied with that.

“That’s good. Okay, we have a deal.”

I raise my hand, waiting for him to shake it. When he smiles slowly at me, I suppress a slight shiver. He really is quite beautiful.

“Deal,” he says as he takes my hand.

I shake it once and then release it quickly.

“Good, but I need to make something very clear.”

“What’s that?”

“No more talk about wanting to kiss me. Friends don’t kiss.”

He laughs as he nods. “Okay, you’ll never hear me say those words again.”

Smiling, I toast him with my glass.

“Good. Now, how about I buy you a drink, friend?”

A small glint of appreciation lights up in his eyes, and he nods.

“That would be good. Thanks.”

I nod and stand up to leave him. As I walk to the bar, I wonder if I’ve just made the worst mistake of my life. But then again, what’s the harm?